Rich Lesser
Chief Executive Officer
New York
Rich Lesser is CEO of Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and has served in this role since 2013. Under his leadership, BCG has continued its strong global growth across all regions and practices, fueled by investments in new offices, digital and analytics, and capabilities to drive innovation and transformation. Rich oversaw the launch of BCG Digital Ventures, a builder and accelerator of digital businesses; BCG GAMMA, a cutting-edge advanced analytics, machine-learning and AI team; BCG TURN, a rapid performance acceleration unit; and more recently, the Center for Climate Action.
Rich also serves as chief advisor to the World Economic Forum’s Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, is on the board of directors of the Business Roundtable where he leads the CEO COVID-19 recovery task force, and is a member of several leading organizations, such as the WEF’s International Business Council. He has accelerated BCG’s strong investments in social impact through its long-standing partnerships, including the World Food Programme, Save the Children, and the World Wildlife Fund, along with many global health and environment initiatives.
Previously, Rich served as BCG’s chairman for North and South America from 2009 to 2012 and as head of the New York Metro office system from 2000 to 2009. Since joining BCG in 1988, Rich’s client work has focused on strategy, operations, leadership, and large-scale transformation.
Prior to joining BCG, Rich worked in product development at Procter & Gamble. He received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BSE in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan College of Engineering, where he now serves on the Leadership Advisory Board.
The end of the pandemic must unfold in three acts. To save the most lives and defeat the virus swiftly, we need to understand the coming sequence—and work on all fronts simultaneously.
The new administration will fight to advance and protect US economic interests—but America will no longer go it alone.
The worst of the pandemic could still lie ahead. We need a new approach to save lives and livelihoods.
Governments cannot let the most vulnerable be the least protected again. Countries, regions, and states can still get the rollout right through science, hard work, and vigilance.
Reducing exposure among those who are vulnerable to adverse health outcomes will benefit the healthy, the economically vulnerable, and society overall.
Survival is top of mind today for many companies, but thriving is the long game. That calls on leaders to respond to a new environment, a new customer, and heightened societal expectations. Here are five imperatives for adapting to and shaping the post-COVID world.
We must flatten the curve in the near term. But soon we in the US—and around the world—must figure out how to do so over the longer term, by mobilizing on multiple fronts, writes BCG CEO Rich Lesser on Fortune.com.
Multiple challenges—the rapid advance of AI and other technologies, a changing global economic order, and the increased scrutiny of business, among others—are reshaping the competitive environment. Here are five ways leaders can get ahead of those trends.
For most CEOs, real success remains elusive. But by deftly exploiting a five-part algorithm, they can boost their chances of a truly successful tenure.
